Ala-Tau means in Turkic language “colourful mountains”. This name reflects exactly the first impression of the bright colors of the mountain range Kuznetsk Alatau. The white snow lies next to colourful sub-alpine meadows, blue sky is reflected in tarns and the white-foamed clouds crawl so low that they often cling to the sharp gray mountain peaks.

Kuznetsk Alatau is a highland in the south of Western Siberia, with a length of about 300 km, the highest altitude is 2178 m (the Upper Tooth mountain). Kuznetsk Alatau is not a single ridge, but consists of several ridges of medium height, between which are the valleys of rivers. It is a watershed of the rivers Tom and Chulym (tributaries of the Ob).

The state natural reserve Kuznetsk Alatau is located on the territory of the Kemerovo Region, the nearest town is Mezhdurechensk. The area of the reserve is 412,900 hectares.

Kuznetsk Alatau is one of the most beautiful places in the Kemerovo region.

On its territory there are about 572 species of vascular plants. Most of the reserve Kuznetsk Alatau is covered with mountain taiga forests of fir, spruce and Siberian pine, which are replaced on the eastern slopes by pine and larch forests. The vegetation cover includes high-altitude belts from the steppe and forest-steppe to the black taiga, alpine meadows and high-mountain tundra. Many rare plants: rhodiola rosea (golden root), rhaponticum carthamoides (maral root), Cypripedium calceolus and other endemic species. On the territory of the reserve 273 types of birds are registered. The fauna of the mammals of Kuznetsk Alatau includes 65 types. There are 11 types of  insectivores; 9 types of Bats; 24 types of Rodents; 3 types of Lagomorpha;13 types of Predatory and 5 types of Ungulate. The core of the Teriofauna of the Kuznetsk Alatau is taiga forms. This are a Eurasian least shrew, Siberian large-toothed shrew, Altai mole, a chipmunk, a Grey red-backed vole, etc. The Northern red-backed vole and common vole, the badger, the otter, the brown bear, the fox, the wolf and the moose are also widely represented. Thus, a typical for the Altai-Sayan mountain system complex of mammals is represented within the Kuznetsk Alatau.

A feature of the Kuznetsk Alatau can be considered an exceptional snow cover in the region, which reaches an average of 3-5 meters on the territory of the reserve, and up to 10-15 meters in the intermontane depressions and wind packet snow. Thus, good forage conditions for ungulates, Reindeer, as well as brown bear, found in the mountain peaks on young greenery until the autumn. Unique in Kuznetsk Alatau, for continental regions of the northern hemisphere, is also the existence of small forms of glaciers at unusually low absolute altitudes of 1,200-1,500 m above sea level. On the territory of the reserve there are 32 glaciers with a total area of 1.64 sq. km.

On the territory there are several nature protected areas (Belsinskiy, Belogorsky, Usinsky) and Tom-Usinsky recreational area. There are many natural monuments such as Bolshoy Taskil mountain, Upper Tooth mountain, karst lakes, Alguean tremolites, Taygilsu Saws, Rocky Mountain Canyon, Red Stone, Usinskiy karst region with cave, underground river and lake.

The Kuznetsk Alatau area is well developed by skiers. Travels from the first to the fifth category of complexity are performed here. The combination of Alpine mountains with taiga, the presence of passes and peaks of varying complexity, the convenience of the approaches to the area make it extremely interesting and convenient for hiking and skiing. Most often there are groups from Siberian cities (Novokuznetsk, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Kemerovo). This allows you to find a ski tracks in almost all valleys. The area of the Tiger-Tysh ridge, due to its small size and high saturation with natural obstacles and its peculiar climate and convenient accesses, is very good for training schools and meetings.